


Light of the Moon AFTERWORD

by Maloreiy



Series: Light of the Moon [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Discussion, Gen, Questions, S&R:CRW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29928738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maloreiy/pseuds/Maloreiy
Summary: For those with lingering questions after reading my Tomione story, Light of the Moon, I'm presenting a discussion here on those topics that I get the most questions about, including the characters, what the solution to the riddle really was, the world-building, and what happened Afterwards. This discussion has many spoilers, please do not read unless you have read LotM. (S&R: CRW)
Series: Light of the Moon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201049
Kudos: 5





	1. Introduction to the Afterword

**Author's Note:**

> If you have just finished reading Light of the Moon, please do NOT read this Afterword. Most likely you have plenty of thoughts and feelings about the characters and the events of the story, and you should take some time to process those. I will be going into many specific details about the story, and your own observations and thoughts can get easily overshadowed by mine. I suggest you wait a day or two, to give yourself time to think about what your questions are. Or, even better, read it a second time and see if you can spot the answers for yourself.
> 
> This Afterword is meant to be a more in-depth discussion for those who are familiar with this story and will contain plenty of spoilers.

A couple of years ago, I was roped into writing a story for the first Tomione Fest hosted by the Facebook group 'Tomione fanfics.' I'm not much of a Tomione shipper, though I do enjoy the occasional good story, but I really wanted to support my friends who were running it.

I had an idea for a prompt that was based on the feel of a dark fairy tale. When I originally started it, I expected it to be only about 15,000 words. But as I got further into the world-building, I realized that I needed more time to set the world up, and to show who these characters really are, in order to give the ending any meaning.

I ended up exceeding the Fest's maximum word count of 50,000 words, and I skipped past several middle chapters in order to submit it under word count, and on-time. Once the Fest was over, I went back to rewrite those extra chapters, knowing that I had to do it while the inspiration was still flowing.

What I ended up with is the longest story I have ever completed, and possibly the best one I've ever written. It's certainly the most intricate one, as no other work has so many layers to it. I knew that everything would have to hold up to multiple readings, while retaining mystery through that important first reading.

I spent hours agonizing over tiny details and word placement.

I chose dialogue as carefully as if I was preparing for a legal battle.

I picked out house-elf names with more care than I would have named my firstborn child (if I had one).

This story is meant to be read at least twice. The first time is to go along with the journey, to listen to the story that Hermione is telling. The second time, though, is to look for the clues, to see if you can spot what signs you might have missed the first time through. Now that you know what to look for, some of them will stand out like glaring signposts, while still others might not be clear till you've looked a third or fourth time.

But over the last two years I've noticed that people tend to message me with the same questions. They want details about the alternate universe I created, they want to know what the answer to the riddle was, they want clarification on what 'really' happened, or they want insight into some of the characters and why I chose to write them the way I did.

At this point, enough time has passed that I thought it might be nice to write up those answers and put them all in one place for those who are interested. As I mentioned at the start, if you've just finished reading the story for the first time, I highly suggest you give yourself time to process it, or even read it a second time before you read these details. The discussion may change how you feel about the characters, the story, or the events, and it would be better if you've already examined your own thoughts.

Warning: As always, I will be long-winded, so prepare for a lengthy discussion.


	2. Main Characters

Hermione and Tom are essentially out-of-character in this story, because I have taken them completely out of the context of the canon world, and thus changed their life experiences significantly. Their experiences shape who they are, and so Hermione the Brittanian and Tom the Ophidian should be very different from what you might know of them from the Harry Potter books.

The challenge, and the fun of it, though, is to see where the similarities are. Despite being a completely different universe, and despite having a completely different life, are there some things about their characters that are simply undeniable? And in this new context, how would they fare if pitted against each other?

We'll take Hermione first, because she's the easiest to explain.

* * *

**Hermione Granger** was born in Brittania. The only child to a couple of Muggle dentists, she had very few difficulties navigating life as a Muggle-born in the new Wizarding World. She loved magic and everything that she was learning, and she took to it very naturally, excelling at almost everything she did. Unlike in the books, she didn't have the same prejudices to face. There were no Slytherins in her life at Hogwarts. Hogwarts, presumably, only had three Houses. There was no Draco Malfoy to cause trouble for her and her friends. There was no Voldemort threat hanging over the entire country and its past. There was no Snape holding grudges and abusing his students. There were no Death Eaters, no Malfoys, no Carrows, no Lestranges, no Blacks. Not even any Dumbledore's Army.

Hermione's life at school was filled with very ordinary challenges and the up-and-down rollercoaster of adolescence. She still had her best friends, Ron and Harry, but life was idyllic—dull, perhaps.

She never had to develop her sharp brain into having survival instincts. She never had to practice wards and jinxes and charms with an eye to keeping herself and her friends alive. And she didn't have to be suspicious, wondering who was serving Voldemort, wondering who she could trust, wondering what truths were hidden beneath the surface of the world around her.

It's not that Hermione is naive, it's that she is not aware of the great evil that exists in the world, because she has never had to fight it herself.

Instead, she sees this magical country, Ophidia, with an incredible history of accomplishment, and feels only wonder and curiosity at how it has managed to be this shining pinnacle of society.

She is idealistic, thinking that magic can solve mankind's problems, and thinking that she can shape political and social progress.

Throughout the story she has a few warnings, and she has some misgivings, but she has not honed those senses to recognize true danger. She thinks that given enough time, effort, and attention, she will be able to understand—and solve—the problems that face her. She is looking at a long game, making plans for several years into the future. The entire story takes space in the span of a few weeks, and Hermione has no indication that her life is on the line, so she doesn't act with the same urgency she'd have if she knew.

There are some key scenes in which Hermione acts with frustrating mildness. The first one is when Draco is tortured directly in front of her. How could she just let it happen? How could she let Riddle get away with it? How could she still move forward to not just marry him, but to fall in love?

For the actual scene, I pulled heavily on the scene from the movies when Mad-Eye Moody tortures the spider in front of the class. This is canon Hermione (2nd tier canon for the movies), and yet she allows someone to perform an Unforgivable spell right in front of her. She is young, true. She has no ability to fight him, and she doesn't think she has any recourse to get help from another adult. She disagrees with the use of the spell, and she doesn't like it, but she falsely believes that the person in front of her has the authority to do whatever they are doing. The entire class believes this.

The King of Ophidia disciplining his subject is well within his authority as King. And Hermione has never yet faced this kind of crisis of conscience, or this type of power being used in this way. She is trying to find ways to convince herself that the world makes sense, and so she is susceptible to Riddle's explanations. Remember, too, that Tom Riddle is extremely charismatic and persuasive, and when he then speaks to her with all reasonableness, and with no anger and only facts, she is at a loss as to where she can place her arguments to be taken seriously. Riddle's words are slippery, because they are true, and throughout the following chapters he is challenging her views of the world around her, making her doubt her values, her ethics, her morality.

When she discovers that Riddle had been married before, it doesn't occur to her that his first wife might be dead. She thinks only that there was perhaps an embarrassment, like maybe he was young and thought he was in love. Or perhaps it had been arranged, and the two had disagreed with it and parted amicably. She knows that royal marriages are rarely for love, and she expects that the situation will be entirely political. And, as always, she has the underlying belief that she will have enough time to unravel these politics. She feels betrayed a bit, personally, but that is quickly glossed over when Tom gives her words of devotion and affection. She can't complain about a royal marriage, quickly dissolved in the past, one that was likely very short. And she believes she has no reason to feel jealous on a personal level, because Tom gives her reassurance of her importance in his life.

The key to Hermione's character in this story is that she is optimistic, and she has ambition to do good in the world. In canon, Hermione was absolutely pivotal to the saving of the Wizarding World (and thus the world), despite Harry being the actual savior. In this world, Hermione is plagued by the feeling that she is meant for bigger and better things. That instead of wasting her time in bureaucracy with red tape, or grading papers, that she could be—and should be—changing the world in some way. She has this dream of being relevant and accomplishing great things. And she absolutely believes that she can do it. When she wins the contest of the Riddle, her beliefs are confirmed, and she feels the call of destiny that she is meant to do great things in this way. She is looking ahead to a future where she will have the power and influence to create progress in society, instead of always being stalled by narrow minds unwilling to act. In her idealism, though, she overlooks the few warnings she gets, because she believes not only that she is up to the task of handling them, but that she will have plenty of time to work it out.

* * *

**Athanasius Marvolo Riddle** (Tom Jr.) is a bit of a new creation. Obviously, you can recognize a few key components of his character, but most of Tom had to be built up from scratch and from the canon description of his earlier years.

Like in the books, Tom was born to Tom Riddle and Merope. Since 'Gaunt' is a very English-sounding name, I chose to use Merope's grandfather's name, Marvolo (which is also Tom's canon middle name) as the royal surname.

In this story, the Marvolo (instead of Gaunt) family is descended from Ptolemy, the original Pharaoh/Emperor/King of Ophidia. They have been seeking immortality for generations, and the secret of Horcrox-making has been passed down through each ruler.

Merope is of royal heritage, but Tom Riddle (Sr) was a Muggle-born. Since Ophidia doesn't have any Muggles, I chose to make Tom Sr a Muggle-born. Tom Sr was escaping ill-treatment in Brittania when he fled to Ophidia, where he met Merope. Merope was quite taken with him, and like the canon story, she used a love-potion on him.

Rumor has it that children conceived under a love-potion are incapable of love, and Tom Jr was conceived under a love-potion, so his capacity for love is suspect.

The portraits in the gallery are simply reflections of the people they represent, and their strength is based on the magical strength of the subject. This is why Merope's portrait is much sharper, and more realistic. She was extremely strong in magic, and presumably she also made certain her portrait would be told all the important things it would need to know to keep watch over the country as a portrait.

Tom Sr was not that strong, magically, and he was also under a love potion. So his portrait is a bit stupid, prattling on about inane things, and certainly doesn't have any memory of the manner of Tom Sr's death. It also does not know about the love potion, though Merope's portrait certainly does.

Athanasius is Tom Jr's birth name. It means 'immortal,' and is also the base of names like Thanos and Athos. I chose it because it's a Greek name to go with the Greek heritage that I have given to the country of Ophidia, and because the name meaning 'immortal' reveals the truth behind Tom's intentions, as well as the hopes that his mother had for him when she named him. It is true that the name is commonly Anglicized as either Tom, or Arthur; I didn't make that up. So in this world, Merope chose the name Athanasius as the Greek version of 'Tom,' after his father, and she and her husband privately considered him as Tom Jr in their family. Though he is officially of the Marvolo royal family, he does still have his Muggle-born father's surname, Riddle.

Tom Jr grew up in a stable family situation. He was never orphaned. He never struggled with identity. And he never struggled with validation as a wizard. He is still a half-blood in this story, but being the Crown Prince, and then becoming King serves to take away any of his insecurities at his magical bloodline.

Tom is not driven by a need to prove himself. Tom is driven by his need to fulfill his family's destiny. His mother raised him with the belief that wizards are superior, that Ophidia is the best country, and that Ophidia (and its wizards) deserve to rule over the entire world. She taught him that Muggles, like house-elves, had a place in the world, but it was not as the equals of wizards. His father, being under a love-potion, certainly did nothing to contradict these teachings.

Tom is seeking immortality, and the Horcrux that his wife's death will yield him, and thus he is not really interested in either a wife, or children. He is eyeing a bigger picture, which is to rule as High King over Wizarding Society, which in turn rules over the inferior Muggles.

We see in the picture Hermione has of him at the very beginning, that he is extremely self-contained. He is serious, hard to read, and highly disciplined. He reveals no weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

In one of the very first chapters, Luna remarks that the Wrackspurts can't find him. Wrackspurts are invisible creatures that float into your ears and an infection of them can make you unfocused and confused. Tom Riddle is entirely focused on his goal, throughout the entirety of the story. Even though he wavers a tiny bit when it comes to Hermione, he is at no time anything other than a train barreling down on destiny. Unlike canon Voldemort, Tom Jr is not plagued by madness. He is entirely stable, sane, and brilliant. The Wrackspurts wouldn't dream of trying anything in the face of such laser focus and intense concentration.

Luna's words aren't meant to be taken seriously, and in and of themselves don't give out any particular warning, but it gives us a clue that the lengths to which Riddle will go to achieve his ends are unnatural.

It's also another possible interpretation that the Wrackspurts have trouble finding him because he is missing a part of his soul, but that would just be speculation as we don't know that much about Wrackspurts.

At the end of the story, we finally get to hear from Tom's POV, and we learn about Tom's nefarious plans, but we also learn that he'd had a chink in his armor. He actually did have some very real feelings for Hermione. Being as he is 'supposedly' unable to love, I hesitate to describe it as him falling in love with her. He is intrigued by her, he respects her power, he is amused and challenged by her mind, and he genuinely likes her. She has spirit and intelligence, firm resolve, bravery, a logical mind, and she cares about lesser creatures (like house-elves). All in all, she would make a very good Queen.

He doesn't need a Queen to rule immortally, but he allows Hermione (like he did for each of his wives) the chance to form the true bond with the land of Ophidia. Since Hermione is so smart, he begins to think she really will solve it. And because she has so many worthy virtues, he believes without a doubt, that Ophidia would accept her and bond with her, making her Queen to the same degree that he is King. And to his surprise, he is kind of looking forward to having a partner that he can respect.

He never lies to Hermione.

Even though he intends to kill her, there is the chance that she will bond with Ophidia and he will have to look elsewhere for a death for his 7th Horcrux. So his words about the future, as if she has one, are all hinged on that possibility.

It was very important to me that Riddle's words and actions all show his commitment to his cause and his drive towards the future, and his unwavering belief in his own power. He has no reason to lie. He omits things that others don't need to know about, but he doesn't need to go through the effort to deceive, because he has untold powers. Indeed, his deceptions (such as erasing the lives of his previous wives), are simply for convenience's sake. He is not yet ready to show the world exactly what his intentions are, and so he erases those facts that would hinder his preparations and progress.

Towards the end of the story, right before their wedding, he and Hermione go to see the portraits of his parents. At that point, Tom is not-quite-wavering on the decision to kill Hermione. The idea of a Queen to rule beside him is beginning to appeal to him. Hermione has already taken the Dark Mark. He is thinking that she might serve him better as a Queen and Partner than as a death to give him his strongest Horcrux. But he knows, rationally, that it is ultimately selfish thinking and that it's only because he likes her.

Queen Merope's portrait senses this wavering in her son, and she reminds him of his duty to his family and to his destiny. As the Marvolo King, and as Ptolomey's heir, he has a mission ahead of him. A mission for which she sacrificed her own life, just so that he could begin it. She emphasizes Hermione's use as a tool to gain power. Tom Sr's observations about love and happiness also come at just the right time to remind Tom Jr that his father was a useless Muggle-born whose greatest value was only because of the love-potion that Merope had him under. He does not want to get tricked into valuing a Muggle-born, and giving her concessions that he didn't give to anyone else. So he rights his perspective, no longer giving in to those brief thoughts of 'what if.' He holds to his timeline, giving Hermione just until the wedding night to solve the riddle. At the end, though, he laments that they could have been powerful together, and he blames the situation on her for not being 'good enough,' and he expresses a certain irritation with himself for regarding her too highly.

In the Epilogue, though, we see that Riddle had been touched by Hermione's life even more deeply than he thought, more deeply than we expected. In fact, he has begun to idolize her in his mind, revering her memory.


	3. Supporting Characters

Here is a brief discussion of a few of the supporting characters in the story, and what part they play in the story.

* * *

**Ron Weasley and Harry Potter**

This story is unusual in that it doesn't feature Ron or Harry. In the very first chapter we see that Ron and Harry have grown up in a very typical and ordinary fashion. They are still friends with Hermione, but as they are all adults with their own lives, they aren't in each others' pockets all the time. Ron and Harry are both low-level Aurors.

The story briefly mentions that Hermione goes shopping for gifts and sends them to her friends. During the Epilogue we see that both Ron and Harry have a gift from the Quidditch Museum in Lagus, Ophidia, but can't remember who sent it to them. This is a tiny oversight from the giant Obliviation/removal spell. Memory of Hermione has been removed, but the gift itself remains. It could be because Riddle hadn't known Hermione had sent those gifts already, and so he hadn't known to include those in his spell casting.

This also seems to indicate that none of Hermione's other letters or correspondence, to her parents or to her friends, sent after she won the contest, ever arrived at their destination.

Perhaps it is this gift from Hermione, or Harry's natural intuition, or the rise of his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, but Harry questions the politics that he sees around him. We are meant to understand that he eventually forms a resistance, this universe's incarnation of the Order of the Phoenix. And not only are they fighting against Riddle's forces, they are also trying to rescue and relocate targeted Muggles.

At the end of the story, though, we learn that the Death Eaters are not only aware of this organization, but are fully prepared to meet it, with teams stationed for every single member, ready to take them all down in concert.

Without Hermione at his side, and having also been raised in a world as idyllic as Hermione's, and facing a sane and powerful Tom Riddle with a huge army, Harry doesn't stand a chance and perishes with the rest of his fledgling Order.

* * *

**Luna Lovegood**

Hermione's best friend in this story is Luna Lovegood. We know that they were friends at school, where they enjoyed spending time together in the library. At the time of the story they aren't terribly close, being adults in their own lives, but they are happy to see each other. Luna considers this just one step on greater adventures, and is excited to meet a new friend in Astoria, who is jealous of Luna's plans.

Luna, who has always been a bit of a Seer, can sense something is wrong, but is also inexperienced as to being able to know what it is, and how to deal with it. She feels something 'off' about Ophidia, and about its King, but has nothing other than her own misgivings. So she is supportive of her friend's attempts—excited for her when she wins, but still concerned.

At the end of the story, we see that she has forgotten Hermione entirely, and she and Astoria are off looking for mythical creatures when Astoria is recalled by means of her Death Eater's Mark.

From there, Luna becomes embroiled in the Resistance efforts with Harry, eventually becoming the person who is assigned to transport Mr and Mrs Granger to safety in Australia.

Due to her friendship with Hermione in Ophidia, and her charges being Hermione's parents, Tom Jr gives in to a tiny bit of sentiment, and he does not pursue them in Australia. This leaves Luna alive as ultimately the best hope of Wizardingkind to defeat Riddle.

* * *

**Astoria Greengrasidi**

Greengrasidi is just my attempt at Greek-ifying a much-too-English-sounding name. Grasidi is the Greek word for 'grass,' or so Google tells me. And it serves as a reminder that these are not the same characters we know from canon. It's extremely unwieldy, I know, and probably sounds absolutely awful to the Greek ear. For that, I do apologize.

Unlike many Ophidians, Astoria has a desire to go out and to see the world, a curiosity about Muggles and Muggle things, and an open mind. Raised as a member of the noble Greengrasidi family, she knows politics and she knows history, and she serves as an Ophidian guide for Hermione in the story. She is under pressure from her family to marry well, and so they wanted her to try to marry the King by participating in the contest.

At the end of the story we see Astoria adventuring with Luna, but when the Mark on her arm starts to burn, it is Riddle calling everyone back to begin his war efforts, and Astoria is no doubt included in this.

* * *

**House-elves**

I didn't expect the house-elves to become such an important part of the story, but I ended up putting a lot of thought into the role that house-elves serve in Ophidia. Ophidia is supposed to be like a Utopia, so having creatures enslaved would absolutely not fit that image. Thus, all of the Ophidian house-elves are well-dressed, and well-educated. Their speech is always proper grammar, except that they always refer to themselves by name. This is meant to contrast with the house-elves of Brittania who are mistreated, and have poor speech, but it also emphasizes that house-elves still 'want' to serve their masters even when their needs are all being met and they appear to have other options.

Each of the house-elves take pride in their stations, and the Ophidians also give them respect and the honor due to those stations. In fact, the Steward of the Castle, the highest household position, with the most authority, is actually a female house-elf. As Steward, Aidos directs and makes arrangements for both house-elves and humans. Aidos is Obliviated along with everyone else after each marriage, but it's suggested that Aidos had a special fondness for Hermione, as she reacts more strongly to Hermione's death than Riddle's other wives.

Pheme is the other house-elf that we get to know from this story, and Pheme is quite young, fiercely loyal, and has a desire to please her mistress. She's not afraid to tell guests that they aren't welcome, but stands in awe of the King. She is also just a bit oblivious to the fact that the King's own house-elf, Ioke, has a crush on her.

I don't know where Ioke came from, but I wanted to show that house-elves have their own culture and their own lives that humans mostly aren't paying attention to. But Riddle, as a benevolent king, pays attentions to all of his subjects and does his best to provide for their needs as he perceives them. This is part of what makes his beliefs dangerous. They are founded on truths, and the house-elves do nothing to dispel the idea that they have already achieved the equality and recognition that they need to live together with humans.

All of the house-elves are happy, and satisfied in their jobs. Their needs are met, including being given respect, and they have freedom to make choices about their lives while still submitting to the hierarchy that exists. Riddle doesn't see how a similar future for Muggles could be any less successful.


	4. The Riddle

Before I could even begin to write this story, one of the first things I had to have, was a riddle and a test. I had no idea where I was going to start. I knew there were a few themes that had to be involved, and I knew it would have to have layers because it was pivotal that the riddle have a double meaning.

If it had been entirely dependent on me, I might never have been able to move forward with this story. Fortunately, my husband loves riddles, and he's great at engineering. So one night we sat down at a local Del Taco and ate dinner while I told him my plans. He pulled out a napkin and immediately wrote down a riddle. It was decent, but he felt like he could still do better. In the car on the way home, he came up with a better one, and I typed it into a Note on my phone so that I wouldn't lose it.

Another day, while eating at a pizza place, we discussed the mechanics of the test and what would be needed to solve it.

Hermione did a good job of breaking down the riddle for us in **Chapters 7-9** , but there's a bit more to it than what she discovered.

To refresh your memory, here is the short riddle:

_"Artemis lets loose her shaft,_

_Twixt dusk and dawn,_

_To pierce the heart of fire._

_Poseidon's bounty,_

_Seven from one,_

_To release your heart's desire."_

**Artemis** is a reference to the Greek Goddess who was goddess of the moon and of the hunt (among other things). Her signature weapon was a bow and arrow. Letting ' **loose her shaft** ' is comparing the shaft of an arrow flying through the air, to a shaft of moonlight piercing through the darkness.

The time ' **twixt dusk and dawn** ' just means night time—after the sun goes down and before it comes up again.

The ' **heart of fire** ' is a reference to the crystal box, which holds the prize, and which is surrounded by blue flames that are impervious to fire, air, earth, and water.

The solution is that moonlight has to shine on the fire to make the flames go out.

However, there is a double meaning. The Heart of Ophidia is inside of the crystal box, and it is shaped like a flame (fire). In Chapter 9, Hermione solves the riddle by shining the refracted moonlight onto the box, but once the Heart of Ophidia is released, it is never placed into the moonlight.

Poseidon is the Greek God of the sea and water, so his ' **bounty** ' is simply a reference to water. The fountain included in the Throne Room is the source of the water that will be needed to perform the task that solves the riddle.

' **Seven from one** ' is defined in the story as referencing the seven colors of the rainbow that are refracted from light. It is the clue that indicates that the moonlight must be separated into its seven colors and that all seven colors must pierce the box to put out the flames.

The deeper meaning, though, is that this is a reference to the number of Horcruxes that Riddle needs to guarantee immortality for himself. He is the One, and the Seven pieces of his soul that come from him are used to turn objects into Horcruxes. Each of the pieces of his soul comes from one death. So you could also say seven deaths come from the one man.

The ' **heart's desire** ' in the last line has several meanings. The obvious one is that the Heart of Ophidia will be released from the box when the blue flames are put out. But the Heart of Ophidia in this case is a metaphor for the 'heart's desire' of the contestants, which is to become the Queen of Ophidia. Solving the riddle and winning the contest will fulfill that desire.

This holds doubly true for the deeper meaning of the fulfillment of that desire. The ceremony that makes Hermione Queen only grants her the legal title of Queen. To be a true Queen of Ophidia, she needs to be bonded to the land, something that not all Kings and Queens of Ophidia are capable of being.

For Riddle, his heart's desire is immortality so that he can proceed with his plans to subjugate the world. Having a suitor solve the riddle will fulfill his desire by yielding him the means to the seventh Horcrux.

So the first solution to the riddle was when Hermione placed a great ball of water at the oculus and used that water to refract the moonlight into its seven colors and then sent them onto the blue flames surrounding the crystal box. (Obviously, this involves magic, as normally spinning water is not going to throw out colors like they do in the story.) The flames went out, and the crystal box opened, releasing the Heart of Ophidia, which was Hermione's prize, and the proof that she had solved the riddle and had earned the right to marry the King.

The second solution to the riddle is much simpler. _She had only to place the Heart of Ophidia into the moonlight._ The Heart of Ophidia was shaped like a flame, and filled with water, earth, and air. It would have opened in the moonlight, and then, being open, it would have facilitated the gradual bonding of Hermione with the land of Ophidia (represented by all the tokens in the Heart united by moonlight), giving her greater magical powers, and a magical connection to the sentience of the land. This was Hermione's real heart's desire, but she didn't know that's what she wanted, or that she should be striving for it.


	5. The Horcruxes

The first time Horcruxes come in to the story is actually in one of the early chapters. In **Chapter 4** , Hermione visits the Portrait Gallery, and Astoria shows her the statues of Ptolemy's four wives.

According to Astoria's telling of the history, each of Ptolemy's wives was gifted a torque with a moonstone (another reference to Ophidia's connection to the moon) that had magical properties. The inference is perhaps that they were protections, or that they enhanced magical ability. Each wife died in turn, and he had statues of them made, wearing their moonstone torque. When Ptolemy died, the moonstones all cracked, presumably as evidence of the love that his wives had for him. Astoria tells it as if it's a romantic tale, that even in death he had loved his wives, and they had loved him.

Astoria, and Ophidian history, is incorrect on one small detail: Those moonstones cracked _before_ Ptolemy died. That's because they were Horcruxes, and before Ptolemy could be killed, the Horcruxes had to be destroyed.

Ptolemy would marry, give his wife a torque with a moonstone, kill her, and then turn the moonstone into a Horcrux. His hubris had him putting these stones on display on the statues he made to honor his wives. He had four wives and was well on his way to immortality. He wanted to recreate Alexander's Empire, but not only that, he was intent on expanding with a focus on wizards as the rulers of the future. He was defeated when someone found out about his Horcruxes, destroyed them, and then killed him.

This information is not in the history books, though.

The secret of Horcrux making is closely guarded by the Marvolo family, who have been hiding knowledge of it for almost two thousand years. There is a secret room in the Library at Castle Marvolo with sacred scrolls from Alexandria regarding Horcrux-making, and this room is accessible only to those with Marvolo blood. It is only for Ptolemy's direct lineage. The truth of Ptolemy's defeat is recorded there as well. And so are all of the previous attempts at Horcrux-making and immortality.

But it suits the Marvolos to allow history to tell the story of Ptolemy's wives as if they are just a romantic legend.

It takes a lot of magical strength and mental fortitude to be able to create a Horcrux. Not every ruler was up to the task. Merope, despite being incredibly strong, did not deem herself up to the task. Instead, she set it as a goal for her son, who she could see early on was stronger and more powerful than all the wizards who had come before her.

To ensure that he took the first step down his path to immortality and world rulership, she made his ascension to the throne contingent on her death. Specifically, he would kill her, and then use her death and the fracturing of his soul, to create his first Horcrux. He did this, and the first Horcrux he created was the Marvolo family ring. (Since I replaced the Gaunt family name with Marvolo, this is Marvolo Gaunt's ring that is canon Riddle's second Horcrux. I also fudged the order of the Horcruxes a bit.)

The second Horcrux was supposed to be made by killing his father. That was the plan he had set with both of his parents. However, the death of his mother ended the love potion that his father was under, and it restored a certain amount of sanity to Tom Sr that made him realize how terrible Ophidia and the Marvolo family truly were, and he killed himself rather than be used as a death for Tom Jr to make a Horcrux.

As a side point, Tom Jr also discovers this is one of the reasons that gloves had become popular again in Ophidia. Tom Jr is a strong Legilimens, and there is a rumor that touch allows for a deeper connection. Merope, fearing that Tom Jr would look into her mind and discover the love potion that Tom Sr was under, minimized that kind of skin-contact by requiring modest clothing that covered arms and hands. (This was a useless precaution, and I can't even remember why I incorporated this point in the story, as I think it was originally meant to tie into something else, and now it's just kind of randomly there.)

With no further surviving family members, Tom Jr decided to marry. The notes on Horcruxes indicated better results from closer relations. Tom Jr married Bellatrix Black and he killed her on their wedding night. Then he erased her from the memory of the land, and from the people. In **Chapter 16** , at Slughorn's dinner party, Hermione talks with Regulus Black who mentions his cousins, though he doesn't mention them by name. One ran off and married a Muggle-born (Andromeda), and the other one married a Malfoy (Narcissa). It's mentioned very specifically that there is no third sister, because all memory of Bellatrix has been erased.

This is the same chapter where Slughorn has vague memories of Tom Jr's first wife, so if you were looking very, very, very closely, you might have noticed that the 'hole' in Regulus' family lineage, is the same 'hole' in Slughorn's memory: Bellatrix.

After his second Horcrux, we don't get any details or information about the next four Horcruxes. Presumably Tom Jr hit on a successful routine, and so he married a few other women, and then killed them and made Horcruxes. We are meant to understand that he gave them the Heart of Ophidia as well, and gave them the same amount of time to form the bond with Ophidia, and none of them succeeded.

Ptolemy made four Horcruxes, but no one else in the history of the Marvolo family made that many. With each piece of the soul that was removed, the person would descend further and further into madness. As a result, they were often killed when their plans became known, or sometimes even by family members who determined that the person was too mad to be able to fulfill the destiny of immortality and rulership.

What Tom Jr discerned, though, was that the reason Ptolemy could make 4 and still retain his sanity is because a magical marriage in Ophidia involves the joining of two souls. So the 'completeness' of Ptolemy's soul was 'fixed' each time he married. Instead of the madness of losing four pieces, he only had the madness of losing one piece, at any given time, because his soul would keep getting restored.

This is how Tom Jr managed to make six, and why he always married the women first, and then killed them. In this way, he retained the most amount of sanity and brilliance. We can see a vague reference to this in Hermione's perspective of her wedding, when she felt very tired and drained. It's because her soul was being stretched a bit to fill in the missing part of Tom's soul.

Having successfully discovered how to keep from going mad while removing pieces of his soul, Tom also looked into comparisons among his Horcruxes for strength, and he discovered that the more brilliant and magically powerful the witch, the better the Horcrux. So instead of just marrying a random woman, he decided that for his Final Horcrux, which would be the strongest and most protected one of all, he would find the strongest and most magically powerfully woman to kill. Hence the contest and the riddle.

We are introduced to each of the Horcruxes in **Chapter 7** , but they are described in such a way so as to mask their identity to the reader. Tom Jr is hiding his Horcruxes in plain sight, not just to would-be enemies, but to the readers as well. But they are mentioned in canon order.

The diary is hidden among a display of books. Hermione points out that the pages are blank, and Riddle says it is waiting to record his future deeds. A subtle reference to it being used as a diary.

The Gaunt family ring is entwined with another ring, and is referred to simply as his parents' wedding rings. He experiences some grief when he looks at the rings, not, as Hermione presumes, because he misses his parents, but because one is a Horcrux, and the other was supposed to be, but his father failed him.

The cases with Slytherin's necklace, and Rowena's diadem are glossed over by being referred to as cases with jewelry that hold 'necklaces, more rings, even the occasional crown.'

Hufflepuff's cup is mentioned among a case of gold items stylized to look like a dragon's precious hoard.

The case with carvings of animals shows some of the magical creatures we know from the novels, and specifically mentions the mascots of the Hogwarts Houses. The largest and most prominent, though, is the snake. It makes sense, seeing as how the country is named Ophidia, but the snake also represents Nagini, Riddle's last Horcrux.

Hermione's death, and her vinewood wand, are meant to take the place of Harry, an unintended Horcrux of Riddle's.

In the final chapters we see the Horcruxes again, as Riddle stands in front of each case, pointing out the Horcruxes for us. And we see that Hermione's wand, which has become the final Horcrux, will not be in a case. Instead, Riddle installs it into his throne, disguising it among the new pattern of vinewood leaves. Like Ptolemy, he is vain enough to display his accomplishments in trophy cases, but he also tries to hide them so they are not easily found. And as insurance against someone who may try to defeat him, he keeps his last, most precious Horcrux under his fingers.


	6. Ophidia, the Heart, and the Mark

'Ophidia' is a suborder of the class of Reptile. Since this suborder includes snakes and serpents, the word is sometimes used to mean snake, or to describe snakelike (ophidian) things.

In this story, Ophidia is the name of the Wizarding country that lies landlocked in the middle of Europe and is inhabited mainly by canon Slytherins. A lot of the 'bad' Pureblood families that are Slytherins reside in Ophidia. Rather than using the word Slytherin, since none of the characters attended Hogwarts (and presumably Hogwarts doesn't even have a Slytherin House anymore), the word Ophidian is used to describe citizens of Ophidia. The Ophidian flag basically has the Dark Mark on it, the snake and the skull.

In the story it is referred to as the Mark of Ophidia. The Mark of Ophidia on various colored backgrounds can sometimes symbolize different things. The silver and white flags with the Mark on them go up after Hermione wins the contest, and announces a royal wedding. Some of the house-elves and the King sometimes have the Mark of Ophidia on their clothing.

Ophidia is not on any Muggle maps, and it has a very rigorous entry procedure for foreigners, meant to keep out Muggles and those with ill-intentions, which is described in the first chapter.

Ophidia has always been prosperous, and under the rule of Tom Jr, it becomes even more disciplined and organized. He manages to almost entirely eradicate poverty, hunger, disease, and crime. Ophidia seems to be a Utopia.

In reality, one of the ways that Tom Jr keeps such discipline among his subjects is that they have all sworn fealty to him by means of a magically binding oath: the Mark of Ophidia.

At the age of 11, when youngsters start school, they go through a citizenship ritual. Being approved to have a wand, and having the freedom to cast spells and use magic formally, they are also expected to swear allegiance to King and Country (or Queen and Country, as when Merope was ruling).

Though this Mark doesn't allow the ruling monarch to control its subjects, it does tie all of them to him, and also to the land of Ophidia. The legend of the Mark, that in times of need, Ophidia will call its children to her, is a true thing the monarch can do through the Mark. It's not in times of need, though, it's basically at the monarch's whim. But no one has called the army of Death Eaters since Ptolemy's time, so no one has experienced it.

As a bit of a safeguard, there is a not-quite-taboo against talking about the Mark or showing it to outsiders. It is one of the additional reasons gloves are always so much in fashion. The citizens are not quite aware of it, because everyone else has one, so there's no need to discuss it. But the way they rub their Mark through the clothes is a subtle reminder that they are all under the influence of a giant spell that makes them part of Riddle's Death Eater network.

Every citizen of Ophidia is a Death Eater. Hermione herself becomes one when she takes the Mark.

Ophidia is personified as a woman, and they sometimes call her The Great Lady, similar to how people might refer to country as a motherland, or as a patria (fatherland). This is not entirely metaphor in Ophidia's case.

Due to the abundance of magic that is practiced in Ophidia, and the magic that is steeped into every corner of it, the Great Lady does indeed have a certain amount of sentience. It takes a lot of magic to wake the land to a point where it interacts with humans on more than just the barest elemental level, but all lands have this kind of magic in them. And Ophidia, The Great Lady, is just a small aspect of the Earth as a whole, brought to a semblance of life by this unusually magical land.

Ophidia doesn't have feelings or thoughts as we might recognize them, but she exists and watches over the land and is sort of dimly aware of the magical beings that roam it. True-bonded Kings and Queens of Ophidia have stronger ties to The Great Lady. A candidate must be exceptionally strong magically, and must be found acceptable to Ophidia to be bonded. The qualities the Great Lady looks for are not such noble ones that a human might look for, as Ophidia doesn't deal in human politics and ethics. Ophidia is more looking for a straight-forward soul, and one that is dedicated to the land and willing to be used as a vessel for the protection of magic and the creatures on the land.

Tom Jr is true-bonded to the Great Lady. Merope was not.

The bond is facilitated through the Heart of Ophidia, which is a magical talisman made up of the elements of Ophidia. Holding the Heart of Ophidia can give someone a stronger connection to the the Great Lady and the magic of the land. If the Heart is opened (by being placed in the moonlight), that connection is sort of 'activated,' and the Great Lady can interact directly with the person.

That bond is stronger during the time when moonlight lies across the land, which is why the constant obsession with moon themes, and why Riddle holds his contests at night under the moon.

The Heart of Ophidia is in Hermione's possession for three weeks, giving the Great Lady a minimal chance to assess Hermione's fitness for the position of a true bonded Queen. The Great Lady, through the Heart of Ophidia, is actually calling to Hermione. Hermione thinks she hears something like a beautiful voice singing.

Luna, being a Seer, sometimes thinks she can hear it, too. She can sense more from the land, anyway. But Luna does not hold the Heart.

When Hermione holds the Heart, she is overcome with a sense of peace and serenity and this is evidence of the preliminary bonding that Hermione is doing with the Great Lady. This is also part of the reason why she doesn't react as strongly to certain information, like that of the existence of Riddle's first wife. The Heart, while it reaches out to Hermione, is also sort of accidentally 'reassuring' her that everything is okay.

Hermione is in a bit of a thrall when she holds the Heart, but because of circumstances, and because the bond is not strong enough, she never thinks to put the Heart into the moonlight. She sleeps with the drapes drawn, so moonlight never has the chance to accidentally get into the room, either. The Heart is essentially kept in darkness, quiet and docile, and though it sings to Hermione in unguarded moments, it doesn't make any progress further than that.

Tom Jr goes to retrieve the Heart of Ophidia after he kills Hermione, because he is going to use it and his true-bond to the land, to perform the massive Obliviation spell that is going to remove Hermione's existence. He needs to do it before the moon sets, because the magic is strongest when the moon is touching the land, and his bond to Ophidia is the strongest then, too.

Had Hermione been True-Bonded to Ophidia, he would not have been able to kill her. As True-Bonded Queen, she would be sworn to the protection of the land and its people, and as a True-bonded King, he would be sworn to the protection of the Queen as well. Being married and doubly true-bonded to Ophidia would have made them both extremely powerful. Without the true-bonding, though, Hermione had no additional protections afforded by her status as Queen.

The Great Lady doesn't have any particular regrets about her death, since it doesn't have feelings. It only knows that it had a candidate before, and now it doesn't.

The Great Lady, the Mark, the Heart, and the true-bond are all intertwined. When Riddle performs his Obliviation spell, he pulls on the magic of the land from The Great Lady, through the Heart as a talisman, and he also pulls from the magic of all of his citizens through their Mark. The Mark makes them more susceptible to the spell, since they've basically sworn to follow the King, but Riddle needs extra magic this time to reach outside of Ophidia's boundaries to influence the magic in Brittania.

It's possible that the magic does not work as strongly and as thoroughly on the areas outside of Ophidia, and on people who are not Ophidian citizens wearing the Mark. This might be part of why Harry tries to remember the friend who gave him the gift, and why Hermione's mother struggles to remember her daughter.


	7. In the Shadow of the Moon

As I've said in many of the comments and conversations I've had with some of you, I always intended to write this story this way. From the very beginning, the entire premise of the story was that Hermione would solve the riddle, but that Tom Riddle is just using her. Along the way, the story expanded into a more detailed story with a stronger relationship, and a Tom Riddle who showed some glimmers of humanity. But there is definitely no changing the ending.

I have no intention to write a sequel, because it would be incredibly difficult, and I don't see myself ever having the time or the inclination to write it. But I do know what happens next.

So I'm going to tell you a summary of the unwritten sequel, loosely titled…

* * *

**In the Shadow of the Moon**

At the end of Light of the Moon, when the Death Eaters attack the Order of the Phoenix, they wipe out almost all of the Resistance effort in a single day. Everyone dies except for just a few people. Luna Lovegood and the Grangers are safe in Australia. Since Neville was there setting up the Safehouses, he also narrowly manages to escape.

They are all that is left, but have no idea how they could possibly defeat High King Riddle.

Meanwhile, in Ophidia, Astoria is reluctantly involved with the war effort. She has been married off to Draco Malfoy, an arrangement that greatly pleases the Greengrasidi family. The Malfoys had always held a high position, but since the war began in earnest, High King Riddle has shown unusual favor to the Greengrasidi family. (This is another show of sentiment from Tom Jr, who associates Astoria and the Greengrasidis with his Queen, Hermione.) The marriage between the two youngsters has cemented the Greengrasidis position in court.

Astoria, however, is not supportive of the war effort. She has traveled to other countries, she has spent time with other people, and she is a good person at heart. She knows that there is something wrong with Riddle's beliefs about wizards and Muggles. To her surprise, she finds that her new husband is also not that keen on the war. Mostly it's because he's a coward, but she realizes that he doesn't want this fight to exist, either. He does believe in wizard superiority, but he doesn't want to go and subdue all the Muggles. He also doesn't want to fight High King Riddle, but he turns a blind eye to Astoria's subversive actions. He doesn't like those, either, but he knows he can't stop her.

Draco eventually comes to love Astoria, and that love does motivate him to act with her, even against the things that he thought he believed in.

As the war effort continues, and as country after country falls into line with High King Riddle's plans, Tom's slight hint of madness begins to show. Marrying Hermione had restored the completeness of his soul, but killing her had left off that one piece. And like a wound, he is constantly picking at it.

He can't forget Hermione. He has built her up in his head into this image of a perfect witch. When he speaks of The Great Lady, he speaks of her. She is Deified in his mind, his goddess, magic personified.

With all of his plans working out perfectly, and with competent leaders at the helm, he turns his attention to something else: a Queen.

With the use of powerful magic and taking advantage of a rare Moon event, Tom Jr uses the Heart of Ophidia to create an avatar, so to speak, for Ophidia to inhabit. The Great Lady is brought to life, and she looks exactly like Hermione.

She is not, however, actually Hermione. She is an extension of magic, of nature, and does not fully grasp what it is to be human.

Tom Jr doesn't care. That hint of madness is fed by having Hermione's semblance before him once more, and having his Queen to sit beside him.

Ophidia is not concerned with the war efforts, so much as she is concerned about the land and about the people. She is both very young and naive, and very old and wise. Riddle is careful to keep her rather isolated. She has no close friends, other than a personal house-elf named Pheme.

Pheme does strange things sometimes, though, like bringing Ophidia galatopita to eat, even when Ophidia never asked for it. In truth, she has no idea what it is, but it tastes good. Sometimes Pheme complains of holes in her head, but when Ophidia questions her, Pheme can't remember why she said that.

Ophidia's body is curious. It seems to recognize certain things. The smell of new parchment. The feel of a wand between her fingers. The touch of Riddle's lips on hers.

She comes upon a noblewoman one day, sabotaging the plans of the High Council. They stare at each other for a moment, in confusion, neither one knowing why, and then they leave. Ophidia doesn't tell anyone about it. She learns later that it is the wife of the youngest Malfoy.

Later, it happens again, but instead of the first Ophidian noble, there is another woman, one with long blonde hair, and dreamy eyes. And Ophidia's body jolts. She almost thinks she can hear a voice in her head, but the feeing is gone just as fast as the woman is gone.

Luna and Astoria have reconnected, and together with Draco and Neville, have formed the beginnings of a new Resistance. Along for the ride, and with limited abilities, but not to be underestimated, are two Muggles….Mr and Mrs Granger, who the witches managed to sneak into the country.

Through a series of meet-ups and coincidences, Ophidia discovers that the form she takes has deep ties with the world and the people in it.

Astoria pleads with her to join their cause.

Luna offers reasons why Riddle is a maniac.

Draco curses a lot in fear.

Neville doesn't hold a lot of hope, but he guards them all the same, and just keeps moving on to the next opportunity. He will never give up.

Ophidia doesn't understand what the problem is. Everyone is happy under Riddle's rule.

They try to show her what it means to be a Muggle, why it's wrong to treat them as an inferior race. They introduce her to the two Muggles with them.

And Ophidia's body reacts the strongest to them.

The woman calls her Hermione, a name that only Tom Jr ever calls her, but the woman doesn't know why she said that.

The woman cries, but doesn't know why she grieves.

Ophidia also mourns, and doesn't know why.

It takes time, but Ophidia learns. She begins to see how Riddle's power is hurting people. It is causing an imbalance in the land. Not particularly in Ophidia, but in the lands around Ophidia.

The other lands, Britannia, Francia, Espania... do not have forms like Ophidia does, but they cry out for the blood spilled on them, for the despair that rolls through like a fog.

And finally Ophidia understands that Riddle has betrayed his oath as a True-Bonded King. He does not have the best interests of ALL of Ophidian subjects at heart. With all of the other lands swearing fealty to him, he is duty bound to do his best by them all, and he is failing.

Together with her new friends, she confronts him. They attack his Horcruxes, those pieces of his soul that Ophidia can sense, because she is True-bonded to him. But he is too far gone to be reasoned with, drunk on his own power. He is immortal. If Ophidia is a goddess— _his_ goddess—then he is a god, with all of magic at his command.

He does not like what his queen is listening to, and when the first of his Horcruxes begin to scream as they die, he lashes out in anger. His sentiment had let things get too far out of hand. He should have killed the last of the Resistance when he had the chance.

Callously, he kills the Muggles first.

Then he turns his attention to the witches, intending to wipe them out with the sweep of his hand before giving more focus to the wizards behind them.

But before he can do so, Ophidia erupts in terrible anger. She didn't know the Muggles well, but still her body is filled with fury. And Riddle is not living up to his oaths.

She is a goddess, she is magic, she is the land, and she is mad. She attacks Riddle while Astoria and Luna work on a spell to bring her more moonlight. Moonlight makes Riddle more powerful, but the moonlight across Ophidian land gives Ophidia power that Riddle cannot even comprehend.

Neville goes after the Horcruxes, with a reluctant Draco helping him. When the last Horcrux, the giant snake is killed, the head sliced off with their Horcrux-killing Sword of Gryffindor, Ophidia renews her attacks on Riddle. But he is still not dying.

And then she senses it, that last piece of his soul, hidden in the throne. She hadn't noticed it because it was masked with another magical signature. Hers.

It's a dual Horcrux. Riddle had tied a piece of Ophidia's magical signature to that last Horcrux.

For the first time, she also senses the bones that are buried beneath the throne. She recognizes them. They are part of her land, but she recognizes them within herself in a totally different way, and she finally understands why her form has its own memories, and its own feelings.

She calls the vinewood wand to herself, and it comes to her, the dragon heartstring inside humming a faint tune inside her head.

There are things that shouldn't be.

Horcruxes shouldn't be.

Riddle shouldn't be.

And _she_ shouldn't be.

The woman that belongs to the bones is gone. And this form she wears is the wrong one for her. She should be free, not tied like this.

So she waves the wand, and she calls the energy of the moon, of the land, of all of the people—both the ones with the Mark of Ophidia, and the ones without—and she tears the last piece of Riddle's soul out of the wand. Mortal now, he dies easily. Draco delivers the final blow, surprised at himself.

But Ophidia doesn't stop at Riddle. She tears out the piece of her own soul, removing it from the wand and casting it back into nature. And with all the energy swirling inside of her, she releases its hold on the form that Riddle had created for her, and she lets it fade away, so the bones under the throne can finally rest.

Ophidia is still the Great Lady, the Great Lady is still Ophidia, but now she is returned to the land and she can restore the balance that has been missing.

The Throne room is left in shambles. The Horcruxes and all the cases are destroyed. The Throne is broken. The vinewood wand that lies on the floor is snapped.

Mr and Mrs Granger lie dead on the floor.

Luna knows who they are now, though. The Obliviation spell doesn't hold anymore now that Riddle is dead. Or perhaps Ophidia restored it before she left.

The Grangers are given a full Ophidian burial, the first time two Muggles were ever buried in Ophidia. Beautiful vines grow over their graves. Luna thinks Neville did it, but he says he had nothing to do with it. Pheme says they just grew there, softly, in the night.

The bodies beneath the floor of the throne room are also dug up and buried properly with their families. Including Hermione's.

The vines grow to encompass that third grave where she lies beside her parents.

A monument is placed there, and on it is a riddle.

The solution is that you can only see it in the shadow of the moon.


	8. FinalFINAL.final

And there you have it. That's everything I have on this story. Hopefully this discussion was helpful and you gained some insight into some of the more subtle aspects of the story. Maybe the next time you read Light of the Moon, you'll notice even some things I've forgotten. Let me know if you have more questions I can answer, or if you have any of your own insights or observations. I'm happy to have more conversations about this story.

A few personal notes now, as we wrap up here.

I am still writing, but it is very slow. I often lack motivation and energy, and so finding the mental space to do any writing is sometimes overwhelming. That doesn't mean I've given up, but it does mean that you won't hear from me for very long stretches of time.

Even this little Afterword has been sitting on my computer, fully typed up, for months. All it needed was a bit of casual beta-reading (which I did myself), and formatting for publishing. And it still took me months to get around to that.

I have a personal goal not to publish any more works in progress, so that makes it a bit harder to get a story fully written before I publish anything on it. I often lose focus and direction before I get anywhere near the end.

I get the most questions about Draco's Bad Day, and I am still actively (but very slowly) working on that story. I can't tell you when it might be ready to publish the next section.

There are a few more one-shots and a second WIP (a Dramione-in-space comedy AU) posted only on my Ao3 profile, that I have not gotten around to cross-posting onto FFN, so if you're curious about those, you can check them out there. (Remember to be signed in if you want to access any of the explicit stories.)

I will eventually be posting other little stories for other non-HP fandoms, and that's just me going where the Muse directs me. That's not me jumping ship and giving up on the HP fandom, so don't freak out if you see those things randomly popping up.

To end with, here is my Shameless Advertising Plug: You can follow my author page, **Maloreiy Webster** , on Facebook, for announcements and news about my writing, or to interact directly with me. I also welcome you to join **Enchanting the Bookworm** , a Facebook group dedicated to discussing stories about Hermione Granger, and to recovering old fanfiction stories that have been lost or removed. So if you want to hang out with people discussing Hermione stories, or if you are looking for ePubs/mobis/PDFs of stories you used to love, but can't find anymore, join Enchanting the Bookworm. (You can also email them at enchantingthebookworm@gmail.com, for individual lost story requests, and they will email them to you.)

**Author's Note:**

>  **S &R: Constructive Reviews Welcome (CRW).** Even though this is not a story, as always, you are all welcome to comment your thoughts or opinions, positive or negative, and that includes criticism. I am always so happy to hear from all of you. No matter whether it's a small token of appreciation, or a long gushing wall of text, or whether it's praise or criticism, I read and appreciate all of your reviews. If it wasn't for all the people commenting and asking questions on my completed story, Light of the Moon, I'd never have thought of posting this discussion here, but interaction and discussion often inspires more discussion. So if you are a lurking type of reader, I'm privileged to be able to provide you some entertainment. If you are the reviewing type, I'm grateful for all of the words you gift to me. Your words often help me produce more words.


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